Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Coffee may prolong life expectancy



A study by Gunter et al published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that drinking one cup of coffee a day was associated with a 12 percent decrease in risk of death, and that drinking two to three cups a day decreased the risk of death by 18 percent.

The authors studied a cohort of 521 330 persons from 10 European countries enrolled in European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).  They evaluated the association of coffee consumption with serum biomarkers of liver function, inflammation, and metabolic health.
During a mean follow-up of 16.4 years, 41 693 deaths occurred. Compared with non-consumers, participants in the highest quartile of coffee consumption had statistically significantly lower all-cause mortality. Inverse associations were observed for digestive disease mortality for both sexes. Among women, there was a statistically significant inverse association of coffee drinking with circulatory disease mortality and cerebrovascular disease mortality and a positive association with ovarian cancer mortality.

The authors concluded that coffee drinking was associated with reduced risk for death from various causes. This relationship did not vary among populations in the countries studied.

In another study by Parket al published in the Annals of Internal Medicine the authors report that coffee consumption was linked with a lower risk of death among racially diverse populations.  The study was conducted in Hawaii and Los Angeles and participants were 185 855 African Americans, Native Hawaiians, Japanese Americans, Latinos, and whites aged 45 to 75 years.  58 397 participants died during 16 years follow-up.  Compared with those who did not drink coffee, coffee consumption was associated with lower total mortality after adjustment for smoking and other potential confounders.

Among examined end points, inverse associations were observed for deaths due to heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, and kidney disease.

The authors concluded that coffee consumption was associated with lower risk for death in African Americans, Japanese Americans, Latinos, and whites.  Only native Hawaiians did not reach statistical significance.

Coffee is one of the most frequently consumed beverages worldwide. In the United States, about 75% of adults drink coffee.  Coffee is a major source of caffeine and several bioactive substances.  Because of the widespread consumption of coffee, understanding its health effects is important.

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